Page 20 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 20
Introduction
essarily understand those internationally less recognisable sites or events
– see Kennell et al. (2018, p. 948) – ‘a deep balance between tourist, the
other, and the world,’ otherwise characteristic for the homo viator (Šu-
ran, 2016, p. 139), should be developed within modern sustainable dark
tourism.
In this respect, modern tourism turns back to its beginning. Such mod-
ern visitors/tourists understand, respect, and feel compassion and do not
merely endanger or exploit sites and communities/societies with ‘dark
memories’ for their own satisfaction/excitement. This is even more im-
portant if we consider the fact that visiting such sites is not necessarily
understood among locals as part of tourism – see the already mentioned
work of Šuligoj (2016), where memory turned out to be the more relevant
aspect.
1.2 Research Purpose and Objectives
The previous discussion has shown how complex the Istrian past is and
how relevant the said aspects are for our academic investigation. Using
historical and sociological perspectives, we can demonstrate how mem-
ory and memorial practices shape the Istrian social reality. The already
mentioned historical events of the 20th century form the backdrop for
the research that concentrates on the (collective) memory of the Istri-
ans. Grounded in the literature re-evaluating the impact of the past on
the present, this study illuminates the connection and reflection of past
traumatic events in today’s public memorial practices. The theory of dark
tourism and memory studies offer a robust enough framework for the his-
torical contextualisation and adequate investigation as well as the iden-
tification and strict empirical checking of contemporary practices in the
trans-border and multi-ethnic region of Istria. Thus, the research aims to
add a new dimension to (historical) sociology in providing a fresh/new
in-depth analysis of history-centric memorial practices and dark tourism,
with useful comparative elements. This is also a reaction to the generally
held view that more research is needed in dark tourism, where conceptual
researches dominate (Biran et al., 2011; Kidron, 2013; Stone & Sharpley,
2008; Šuligoj, 2016). Consequently, more specifically, the purposes of the
research are to:
• provide an understanding of what memory and dark tourism mean
in a specific regional environment (trans-border region of Istria);
and
20
essarily understand those internationally less recognisable sites or events
– see Kennell et al. (2018, p. 948) – ‘a deep balance between tourist, the
other, and the world,’ otherwise characteristic for the homo viator (Šu-
ran, 2016, p. 139), should be developed within modern sustainable dark
tourism.
In this respect, modern tourism turns back to its beginning. Such mod-
ern visitors/tourists understand, respect, and feel compassion and do not
merely endanger or exploit sites and communities/societies with ‘dark
memories’ for their own satisfaction/excitement. This is even more im-
portant if we consider the fact that visiting such sites is not necessarily
understood among locals as part of tourism – see the already mentioned
work of Šuligoj (2016), where memory turned out to be the more relevant
aspect.
1.2 Research Purpose and Objectives
The previous discussion has shown how complex the Istrian past is and
how relevant the said aspects are for our academic investigation. Using
historical and sociological perspectives, we can demonstrate how mem-
ory and memorial practices shape the Istrian social reality. The already
mentioned historical events of the 20th century form the backdrop for
the research that concentrates on the (collective) memory of the Istri-
ans. Grounded in the literature re-evaluating the impact of the past on
the present, this study illuminates the connection and reflection of past
traumatic events in today’s public memorial practices. The theory of dark
tourism and memory studies offer a robust enough framework for the his-
torical contextualisation and adequate investigation as well as the iden-
tification and strict empirical checking of contemporary practices in the
trans-border and multi-ethnic region of Istria. Thus, the research aims to
add a new dimension to (historical) sociology in providing a fresh/new
in-depth analysis of history-centric memorial practices and dark tourism,
with useful comparative elements. This is also a reaction to the generally
held view that more research is needed in dark tourism, where conceptual
researches dominate (Biran et al., 2011; Kidron, 2013; Stone & Sharpley,
2008; Šuligoj, 2016). Consequently, more specifically, the purposes of the
research are to:
• provide an understanding of what memory and dark tourism mean
in a specific regional environment (trans-border region of Istria);
and
20
